Wednesday, November 12, 2008

So, they got up early and went to the beach. 5am. Brackley Beach. Prince Edward Island, Canada. Two sleepy teenagers and a mom.

It was freezing.

How many teenagers do you know willing to get up at the crack of dawn to be part of a peace project?

Maida and Thomas thought it was so cool that their mom wanted to Blog for Peace that they volunteered to help her carry out the deed. Armed with a few copper plates and oodles of imagination and talent lined up in a pattern on the kitchen floor, they hatched a "special plan."

Hear Debra's narration at its inception from her special kitcheny peace perspective, spoken expertly into her camera phone like an undercover agent for international peace . "This is our Peace Project for November 6th set up in the house. My teenagers and I are going to go to the beach .Wednesday morning ......5 o'clock in the morning before school and set up to take pictures before the sun comes up."

And that's exactly what they did.

"I am positive the world could achieve peace if we found a way to love and take care of each other," writes Debra James Percival. "Not just the more fortunate taking care of the less fortunate. That’s great and good; I am talking about a deeper love and caring. I am talking about a love and caring that comes from the soul of all walks of life that can not be earned by giving cash out. Like helping someone less fortunate (bad health, loss of a loved one, lonely, etc…) in ways that money can not help, that is true love and caring, giving of self. A love that is given without resentment, a love that does not expect a pat on the back, you can be dirt poor and caringly help an elderly person across the street even if they do have an expensive coat on and you do not. Simple acts are honest to God Caring/Love! "

The stunning sunrise photographs you see show the finished product of Debra, Thomas, and Maida's master plan. The floor pics are from the 1 minute video made by Debra in her lovely island home showing how the plates looked before they made it to what I am calling the "Sunrise Sand Gallery." You must see it. PLEASE go look. Debra and her children worked and planned their peaceful loving protest in the kitchen......Laid out, carefully designed, photographed, labelled, ready to make their debut on a windy beach at an unbelievably early hour to catch the best light as a backdrop.Anywhere in the world, it's the most peaceful hour of the day.

Then Mom made a framed and signed "thank you" photograph for her two partners in peace crime.
And yes, I cried when I read this the first time. And the second. Well, maybe the third too (OK OK I confess!) But the thought of a family I never met on a faraway island in another country going to this much trouble to Blog For Peace touched me to the core. I'll admit. I was a sappy sorry mess for a few glorious minutes.

And then the sun came up and I saw one more tether of hope stretched across my world....connected by those three little Latin words. It was all so clear.And all was right with my world too.

Thank you, Debra, husband, Maida and Thomas.

We love your peace globe, but more than that, we love the sound of peace on the beach with a family full of hot chocolate and love.Spelled out with copper plates.

You are one cool peace mom.With two VERY cool teenagers.

************************

Debra James Percival lives in Canada and is a Printmaker Artist and a "non-toxic Printmaker Instructor". She is a graduate of the Nova Scotia Art and Design School. Her photography is stunning (see shadow shot) as is the work housed in this gallery.Her mediums include: intaglio type, collagraph, monoprint, wood cut, polyester plate lithography, water based silkscreen, and copper and aluminum etchin.I have no idea what most of that means. But I do know this.....

A beautiful in-the-3-D-world peace globe creation. Performance art! And a family event, too - with teenagers! Brilliant. I'm in her neck of the world - Prince Edward Island is next to my province of Nova Scotia, and her art school, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, is a block away from where I work.

In that spirit of art created by your Blogblast For Peace, come and visit my Thursday Thirteen today - I've featured 13 of my favorite peace globes from last week's event with their creators' gracious permission. Stop by for a stroll through my virtual gallery!

Yes, I can imagine teenagers like that. I worked with teenagers many years ago in conjunction with a project for special kids, and found them so full of enthusiasm and willing to do whatever was asked of them. I love young people! Thank God they are the generation who will be furthering the cause of Peace.

As a photographer, I know what it means to "go anywhere do anything to 'get the shot'". But I rarely have anyone along other than The Tonka Unit to help out. (And he mainly watches the truck for me while I work.) So to not only have two teenagers willing to support the work, but to actively participate... she must be a pretty special kind of mom. When they were in their teens I doubt I could have gotten my guys out of bed that early, forget about getting them down to a frozen beach to lay pieces of sheet metal out in the sand.

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful comments. I will eventually resolve my comment problem on my blog. I am a great clicker, but sometimes that is what works against me. I am going to have to go visit another computer blogger and ask for help. Special thanks to you Mimi and your wonderful Peace Globes.All the best.